VENICE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL vs GARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Garden Elementary School ranks #14 of 3,777 Florida elementary schools, placing it in the top 0.4% statewide. Venice Elementary School, rated 8.8 out of 10, earns a solid #170 in Florida — top 5% statewide — but Garden Elementary School's 9.5 out of 10 represents a 0.7-point advantage that reflects a meaningful performance gap between two schools just 2.9 miles apart in Venice, Florida.

The academic and growth numbers tell different stories depending on what a family prioritizes. Venice Elementary School edges Garden Elementary School on raw academic proficiency, scoring 9.7 versus 9.3 out of 10 — a 0.4-point advantage suggesting slightly higher current achievement levels. Garden Elementary School, however, pulls decisively ahead on growth, posting a 9.4 versus Venice Elementary School's 7.9 — a 1.5-point gap indicating that students at Garden are gaining ground faster relative to their starting points, regardless of where they begin.

Garden Elementary School serves 509 students compared to Venice Elementary School's 631, and the student-teacher ratios are nearly identical — 13.8:1 at Garden versus 14.0:1 at Venice — so class size is not a differentiating factor. The more meaningful demographic difference is free and reduced lunch eligibility: 55% of Garden Elementary School students qualify, compared to 40% at Venice Elementary School. That 15-point gap signals Garden serves a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged families, making its #14 statewide rank and 9.4 growth score particularly impressive given the added challenge.

Both schools cover the same grade span — prekindergarten through fifth grade — so neither offers a structural advantage in terms of years served. The distinction comes down to trajectory: Venice Elementary School leads on absolute academic scores while Garden Elementary School leads on growth, overall rating, and state rank.